「rise of the oni」
by catodactyl
Summary: What's worse than a Nighlok? The Samurai Rangers are about to find out as an ancient evil is brought back into the world after 500 years. Now facing an enemy with god-like power, the Rangers are put to the ultimate test as they face a force that not even their ancestors could defeat.「rated T for language and violence」
1. The Demon Gate

_When I opened my eyes, everything was white._

_I'm lying flat on my back on a cold, hard surface. Every muscle in my body is stiff, like I had just been hit by a car. It hurts a little to sit up, but I need to get a better look at my surroundings; I need to figure out where I am._

_There's an endless path of white polished marble behind and in front of me, bordered by white—almost silver—trees on either side. It was so bright; I could barely see. What is this place? I can't tell which way is forward or which way is backward. Nonetheless I'm not getting out just by sitting here; I pull myself up to my feet and start walking forward._

_The scenery doesn't change and this path seems to have no end. The only sound I hear is my feet hitting the ground; no birds; no wind; not even running water. It's like a dream… or perhaps a nightmare. I know I'm alone, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched. There's an eeriness crawling up my spine, and though I can't explain it, I just know that someone—or something—is waiting for me up ahead._

_After a while the landscape begins to change. The polished marble begins to crack and the trees begin to die; everything is slowly turning from pure white to dull gray. Even the sky is beginning to look like a huge storm was rolling in. By now all of the trees were rotten and the marble tiles were completely shattered; fog had begun to envelope the area, and that feeling of being watched had intensified. Slowly, but surely, I could begin to make out a figure in the distance. _

"_Red Ranger," a cold woman's voice echoed in the air, "last living member of the Shiba clan, I'm quite impressed you've made it this far. No human has ever reached the end of the Hollow Forest."_

_By now the gloomy atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it were weighing me down, slowing my pace. I didn't recognize this woman's voice, and I didn't recognize the name 'Hollow Forest'. Finally I lost the ability to move my feet, and the figure became slightly clearer, but the fog had gotten so thick it was impossible to make out any details, including their gender; the voice sounded like it was coming from all around me, so I couldn't say this figure was who it belonged to for sure._

"_Who are you?" I asked, swallowing down the fear I refused to acknowledge earlier. As much as I hated to admit it, though I wasn't sure if I was in any true danger, knowing that someone was out there who knew exactly who I was and that I was completely helpless terrified me._

_There was a low chuckle, as if the voice could see me through this dense fog and found pleasure in my discomfort. "You played your part well, child. The human world shall soon be completely enveloped in glorious darkness, and I have you, boy, to thank for it."_

_Me? What did I do? The mystery woman chuckles some more and I feel my knees grow weak. I wanted to ask them again for their name, but my voice goes missing; I open my mouth but no words come out._

_They started to talk again. "By the end of this year the human world will be engulfed by the darkness, and I shall finally have my revenge."_

_Despite all the questions running through my head, my mind felt foggy. Again I wanted to speak but for some reason I still couldn't make a sound. Before I could even take a step towards the shadowy figure, which had just begun to fade into the fog, my eyes catch a glimpse of a small source of light. I look down at my hand, with some reluctance for some reason, and my eyes widen in shock._

_My hand is on fire._

_The voice begins to chuckle again as I begin to panic, waving my hand hysterically trying to put out the fire; because panicking solves everything, right? This only makes it worse, however, as the fire spreads from my hand all the way up to my elbow and continues; I stumble and notice the floor beneath is also starting to catch fire. The woman's chuckling grows into psychotic laughter as my entire body is engulfed in flames. I had dealt with fire before; but this was different. I had no control over these flames. It felt as if my flesh was being ripped apart, layer by layer. It was agonizing._

_I screamed, and that's when everything went black._

Jayden bolted up in his bed, drenched in a cold sweat. His heart felt like it could burst out of his chest with how fast it was beating; his breathing was heavy. _It was just a dream_… The thought offered him some comfort, but while the pain was gone his body still felt as if it were on fire. Raking trembling hands through his damp, tangled hair Jayden tried to remember the last time he had been so frightened; certainly not recently.

_Calm down; pull yourself together_. _It was just a dream_… _But who was that_? What _was that_…?

After getting his breathing under control, the only sound that could be heard was the house settling. Nobody was running down the halls to his bedroom to check on him, so it was clear that he wasn't screaming in his sleep; just in his dreams. Jayden let out a sigh of relief.

He was full of questions, though a part of him honestly didn't want to know the answers to most of them. While it wasn't uncommon for him to have such strange dreams, this was the first time one had felt so… _real_. It was like watching a vision of the future; he could feel the tension in the air, the threatening tone of the mystery woman's voice, and the fire… It was all too painfully real.

As much as he didn't want to go back to sleep, it wouldn't do him much good to ponder on these things now. Perhaps he could ask Ji in the morning, though the Red Ranger doubted even his mentor would understand these bizarre imaginings. Looking over at the alarm clock on his bedside table he read: 3:28 P.M.

Overcome by a wave of exhaustion, Jayden lied back down in his bed and closed his eyes, trying to forget those awful images and replace them with peaceful ones. There was no point in letting one nightmare—one that probably meant nothing—get the best of him, especially when he's fought monsters on a daily basis. The fact that he had let it shake him up so much was almost pathetic. But no matter how hard he tried to forget, there was one thing that continued to haunt him:

_By the end of this year the human world will be engulfed by the darkness, and I will finally have my revenge_.

Ten minutes passed before Jayden had finally fallen back to sleep.

* * *

When morning came Jayden was awakened by the smell a horrifying mixture of burnt eggs and peanut butter, which could only mean one thing: Mia was in the kitchen again. It was impressive how late he had slept in; usually he was up before everyone else, Ji included. With that awful smell lingering throughout the house he had half a mind to pretend he was sick, stay in bed; he had half a mind to do anything to get out of having to face the Pink Ranger's… _special_ cooking.

Eventually someone would come knocking, so with a heavy sigh he accepted defeat and pulled himself out of bed, quickly throwing on some clean clothes to get the morning over with; never mind his hair being an unkempt mop. His muscles were stiff and there was still some lingering exhaustion from having woken up in the middle of the night.

Come to think of it he just wanted this entire day to be done and over with so he could go back to sleep.

The smell became a lot stronger the closer he came to the kitchen; thank god for Kevin cracking the windows. Mia had apparently gone overboard (big surprise) and was standing by the stove, fanning her new concoction, trying to either get the food to cool down or reduce the amount of smoke; probably both.

"Something smells… interesting," Jayden commented, making his presence known while trying not to cough or choke.

Mia immediately turned to him with a smile, as if nothing was going on at all. It was the breakfast she had poured her heart and soul into making burning behind her; no big deal. At least she had remembered to turn the stove off this time, by the looks of it. "Good morning, Jayden," she greeted happily. "You're up pretty late. I was beginning to think you were sick or something."

Jayden felt sick the second he got a whiff of her latest concoction

"Would you like some breakfast? There's plenty to go around."

"No thanks. I'm not exactly hungry."

This earned him a worried look from the Pink Ranger. He half expected her to walk out from behind the counter and put her hand to his forehead to check for a fever. Luckily she didn't ask any questions and he could go on about the morning without her having to mother him. Mia meant well, and while it wasn't a bad thing for her to care so much, at times she could be a bit much. "Where's Ji?" Jayden asked.

"He took Mike and Emily down to the Kamiya's," Kevin explained, reluctantly accepting the plate Mia had so kindly prepared for him. It was incredibly how she couldn't see the disgust on the Blue Ranger's face hidden behind that forced smile of his. "He wanted us to join them when you woke up."

The Kamiya residence was the home of Cody and his parents, Johnathan and Naomi. The last time the Rangers had paid them a visit it was bring Cody home from nearly getting himself killed, courtesy of the wild-turned-tame Bullzord and a Nighlok by the name of Crustor. While guardians of ancient samurai secrets,

"I heard that Mrs. Kamiya's fallen ill, and with her husband out of town Ji thought it would be a good idea for all of us to help out with the farm." Mia added her input, happily putting leftovers away. Jayden thought it was pointless; her leftovers were never eaten and, hell, Kevin was quietly dumping his portion out the window, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"The three of us can go down together once we're… Jayden, are you okay?"

"Hm?"

The look of worry had returned; Mia's brow knitted together as she looked him over, trying to see if she could pick up anything wrong with him. Shaking his head and putting on a smile for her, Jayden rubbed the back of her neck and reassured her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry, Mia. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Much like Mia, Kevin had a knack for reading people, and the two of them were reading him like a book. They could tell when something was wrong, and the Red Ranger was sure they weren't buying into his 'I'm fine' act. Nonetheless neither of them questioned him any further; they also knew when not to press on matters he obviously didn't want to discuss.

While it was true he was tired, Jayden was also worried. He wasn't one to believe dreams meant anything, but there was an eerie feeling crawling up his back. He couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen and soon.

* * *

None of the Rangers, save for Emily, had never worked on a farm one day of their lives; boy, did it show for the next eleven hours.

Naomi Kamiya was a kind woman; always treating everyone she meets like family. It hurt the teens to see her so frail; pale skin, dark eyes, and unable to do much of anything without tiring herself out. While Ji and Mia tended to her, Jayden and Mike had the pleasure of corralling horses back into their stables. They had minimal experiences with horses, though they didn't think it would be a difficult task, especially with Naomi's reassurance that they were gentle and tame.

Mike ended up getting dragged along the dirt a couple of times, and a white stallion—whom Naomi liked to all Silverwind—found pleasure in biting onto and pulling the jacket right off of Jayden's shoulders (several times, actually). It wasn't until Emily came along, finishing up her task in the chicken coop, that the duo had finally admitted defeat against the horses. The blonde must have enjoyed watching them suffer; her giggling was almost uncontrollable.

"Do you guys want some help?"

They didn't even need to look at each other; they were thinking the same thing. "Yes, please."

The Yellow Ranger had no trouble; in fact, the boys were sure the horses had taken a liking to her. Once they were back into their stables, where Emily had decided she'd stay and feed them, allowing the two boys to go on ahead without her, Jayden and Mike went to check on Kevin, who also seemed to be having trouble. When Emily finished collecting eggs, it was his job to get the chickens back into their coop.

It was actually pretty laughable, watching someone mature and collected as Kevin chase chickens, probably wanting to fry them up by now and serve them for dinner. The feathery poultry even seemed to be mocking him, clucking happily and pecking at the dirt. Once they were done laughing Jayden and Mike eventually helped him out, and after an hour or so—and constantly telling Emily, who had come to check up on them after feeding the horses, that they could handle it—the three of them eventually got all the chickens back into their coop.

At this point, all three of them would have much rather been fighting a Nighlok.

"Man, I would kill for some action right about now." Mike let out an irritable groan, stretching his aching muscles.

It was no surprise that the girls didn't come across as tired, what with Emily being used to farm work and Mia spending most of her time catering to Naomi. The good thing about this busy day was that Jayden was able to keep his mind off of that awful dream; he had actually forgotten nearly forgotten about it. But with the sun beginning to set his train of thought once again drifted off into that direction.

"I appreciate you all coming down today." Naomi came out of the house carrying a tray of iced tea. Illuminated in the porch light she seemed even more tired than before. Her skin was fairly pale and her eyes looked dark and heavy as if she had suffered many sleepless nights; her auburn hair was kept in a messy bun, as if she hadn't spent much time on it, and she wore a sleeping robe over her clothes. It was upsetting to see such a kind woman like Naomi Kamiya suffering the way she was, though from what the Rangers had heard from Ji this was nothing new.

"I just feel terrible not being able to keep up with the work around here while Johnathan is away," she said, pouring tea into individual glasses, "and I hate to put you all to so much trouble."

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Kamiya," Mia smiled, taking one of the glasses from the woman's hands and handing it to Kevin. "You just rest up and get better soon. If you need help with anything, just let us know."

It was nice to finally get something cold in their systems. Time seemed to go by much quicker on a farm; the teens hadn't even realized how much time had passed until the sun started to go down.

It wasn't long until Ji returned from whatever it was he was doing, though he didn't have the same tired expression as the rest of them did, much to everyone's surprise. Instead their mentor looked concerned, placing a hand on Naomi's shoulder as his brow furrowed.

"Where's Cody?" Naomi asked, half smiling as if she expected to see her son by the older man's side.

"He isn't in the fields," Ji explained. "I've searched the whole property and he's not in the house. Cody's gone."

Naomi's eyes widened and she could feel her knees growing weak. She dropped the pitcher of tea and grabbed Ji's shoulders; the Rangers were on their feet immediately. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Naomi asked frantically, shaking the man's shoulders. "Where is he? Where is my son?"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kamiya," Jayden said, putting on his usual calm and serious persona to ease her. "We'll find Cody. He couldn't have gone far. Let's go, everyone." He pulled out his morpher and the five of them set off for the forest. On the off chance Serrator or Xandred had something to do with this they would need Antonio. Hopefully the fishermen hadn't gone home just yet.

* * *

_Come closer_, _little one_. _That's it_… _Don't be afraid_.

Cody had been busily picking vegetables from his mother's garden when he was interrupted by a cold voice echoing in the air. It sent a chill down his spine, and with the crows fleeing from the forest the boy had half a mind to run back to the house and get the Rangers. But for whatever reason he couldn't bring himself to move his legs.

The voice continued to speak to him, asking for a certain Disk; a sealing Disk.

It was as if he were under some kind of mind control; Cody found himself sneaking into the attic, breaking into his father's chest of ancient Disks, and wondering aimlessly into the forest. He wasn't too sure what he was looking for, but his feet seemed to know the way and with the mysterious voice guiding him there was no way he could get lost.

_Just a little further_… _That's a good boy_.

Eventually he came across a large stone wall that looked ancient; moss had even started to grow. Engraved on the stone were intricate designs, including traditional Japanese dragons and the kanji for 'demon gate'.

Cody had never seen this wall before; just looking at it sent chills down his spine. He wanted to run; he wanted to get the Rangers, but the mysterious voice still had some sort of mind control over him.

_Place the Disk back into its proper place, boy_. _Go on_… _There's nothing to fear_.

There was some hesitation. Cody licked his lips, swallowing once he realized his throat had gone dry and trying to ignore the tugging in his gut. He didn't want to listen, but his hands moved by themselves. In an instant his mind went blank, and he was mere inches away from placing the disk in its place on the stone wall.

"Cody, no!"

It was Jayden's voice that brought the boy back to reality, but the Red Ranger grabbed him too late. The Disk was in its proper place on the wall, and in an instant the cracks and engraved markings lit up like a purple Christmas tree. The ground began to quake, and a crack began to form in the middle of the wall, as if it were being cut in half by an invisible force.

The other Rangers arrived just in time to witness the horror. They all stared in awe as the wall began to split open. A figure appeared, slowly approaching the new opening presented to them. At first the teens believed it to be a Nighlok, that Cody has just opened up some sort of portal or gate to the Netherworld; but as the dark figure became more clear, stepping out onto the earthly soil of the human world, it appeared more human—a woman, actually.

They wore a very simple mask with slit eye sockets and red markings; a short, black kimono decorated with dark flowers and other small designs, wrist guards, and knee-high boots. Strapped to her side was a katana, and it looked like it hadn't been used in centuries.

Being in the very presence of this mystery woman was nerve-racking, and Jayden couldn't help but feel he had seen her before, or at least had felt her presence. She was intimidating, even more so since they couldn't see her face. Not even Serrator could strike this much fear into the Ranger's hearts.

"What year is it?" the woman asked, voice as cold as ice and as demanding as her appearance.

For a moment nobody answered her, afraid that she would slice them to pieces if the answer she received was unsatisfactory. Emily, surprisingly, was the first to find her voice. "I'ts… 2012," she said, taking a deep breath.

The woman didn't budge; she didn't move a muscle, which frightened them even more, especially Cody. Is _this_ what had possessed him to do such an awful thing?

"Am I expected to believe that _you_ are the new generation of Samurai Rangers?" the woman continued her questions, not sounding at all impressed with the truth before her. She scoffed. "You are but mere children, and are of no threat to me."

This set Mike off. He had forgotten all about his fear of her, and with an irritable growl he took a few steps forward. "Who are you to say that, you mask-wearing freak?"

Jayden wanted to snap at the Green Ranger, tell him to keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't form any words. He was stunned into silence.

"I am Konan," the mystery woman stated, "ruler of the Oni."

* * *

To be continued in chapter two, _Konan_…


	2. Konan

Time seemed to have gone still as the Rangers stood and stared in silence. Neither of them heard the term 'Oni' before, but something told them the Nighlok had just become the least to their worries. Konan grabbed the hilt of her blade, making the teens flinch and raise their guard. Was she going to stir up a fight? Was she going to strike? All of that training for reading the opponent's movements was not help at all; they couldn't even see her face, only piercing yellow eyes through the eye sockets of her mask.

With one swift motion, Konan had unsheathed her sword and struck at the Disk upon the wall, slicing it in two. "There," she said, sheathing her blade, "I never want to see that Disk again." The Ranger's eyes widened in shock, for never before had they seen a Disk destroyed with such little effort. It must have been a pleasure for her to see its shattered remains fall to the ground.

"Cody," Jayden picked himself and Cody up from the ground, stepping in front of the boy as if to shield him from any possible attacks Konan would throw at them, "run home and inform Ji and your mother about what's happened. We'll handle this."

For a moment Cody said nothing. He was still frightened, and he worried that if he took one step the Oni woman would slice him into ribbons. "But…"

"Go, now! We'll take care of this."

When Konan didn't budge, or seem threatened at all by the Red Ranger's words, Cody gathered what courage he had and willed his feet to run, refusing to look back. Jayden didn't need to make the order for the others to pull out their morphers; they were almost one step ahead of him. While they didn't know if they could truly fend her off, they couldn't just let her waltz off to do whatever she pleased.

"Do you honestly think you can stop me?" Konan asked, voice sounding very monotone. She wasn't mocking them or playing with them; in fact she sounded very uninterested, as if she weren't taking them seriously at all—which she wasn't.

"You better start packing your bags, lady, 'cause we're sending you right back where you came from," Mike barked, blood boiling more and more with every word the Oni woman said.

Konan made a small sound that almost resembled a chuckle. "Really?" she asked, picking up some emotion that sounded somewhat like amusement. Nonetheless she didn't make a grab for her sword; she didn't make any movements to initiate a fight. "Then demonstrate your powers for me. Prove to me you're worth as my adversaries."

The Rangers didn't need to be told twice. Drawing out their respective kanji symbols, they morphed into their Samurai Ranger forms. Unsheathing their Spin Swords they took their battle stances.

Konan didn't seem at all impressed.

Mike, already driven to the point of anger, charged at her first with a strong intent to kill, the others not far behind him. It made sense that five-to-one—six-to-one if Antonio would hurry—would give them the advantage, and despite her little to no effort in the fight Konan seemed to have the upper hand. She was quick and graceful with her movements, dodging every strike with ease. Kevin and Jayden were searching for openings, but it was if Konan had eyes on the back of her head. Whenever they sought the opportunity to strike she moved, dodging their attacks seconds before they could land a hit.

Mia and Emily charged at her from behind, hoping she'd be too busy fending off the boys to notice them, but with a simple backflip she was out of their sites, out of range, and pulling what looked like small, flat blade out of her sleeves and throwing them their way before landing. The girls didn't anticipate the attack, let alone have time to defend themselves, but luckily Mike came in just in time to deflect the blades. Further inspection had shown them to be shuriken—throwing stars—arsenal once used by samurai and ninja. While she didn't appear interested in taking them on with her sword, at least she was giving them something by throwing shuriken at them.

"Man, she was way too fast," Kevin reported, trying to catch his breath. "Where's Antonio when you need him?"

"Yeah," Emily added, "if anyone can keep up with her it's got to be him."

"Did someone call for me?"

Though they couldn't see her face, the Rangers were sure Konan was a bit surprised by the voice and rustling of the trees. Out of nowhere came Antonio, Barracuda Blade unsheathed and ready to strike.

If Konan had lost any composure she quickly gathered it, bouncing off the earth higher than humanly possible causing the Gold Ranger to strike her previous position instead. This didn't seem to bring down the fisherman's optimistic demeanor in the slightest. "Enter the amazing Antonio! Ask for me and I shall appear!"

"Yeah, well, the _amazing_ Antonio could've been a little faster with his appearance," Mike grumble, loud enough for Emily to elbow him gently.

For a long moment Konan said nothing. She studied Antonio, trying to make out exactly what he was and why he was there. "Who are you?" she asked, obviously irritated. "I don't recall a sixth Samurai Ranger."

Antonio put his hands on his hips, nodding his head. "Well, the thing is I'm not of any samurai decent like the others, but that doesn't make me any less of a—"

"Fool."

"H-Hey!"

Konan instantly lost any interest she had in the Gold Ranger. She had no time for what she deemed as posers, and if true samurai could barely lay a hand on her why would she give a clown the time of day? "I have no time for foolish games. You children are about as threatening as a newborn babe."

While the situation wasn't dire, the Rangers needed to quickly come up with a battle plan. Konan didn't seem enthusiastic about continuing their little scrimmage, and they wanted to end this as quickly as possible. Jayden started to study here, though there wasn't much to read. _She gives us plenty of openings, but she's too fast. She refuses to draw out her sword, so she doesn't see us as much of a challenge for her. She's underestimating us_… _Okay, I think I've got it_. "Kevin, Emily, you two work with Antonio; keep her distracted. Mike, use the terrain of the forest to your advantage; when you see an opening, take it. Mia, you're with me. Once Mike's got a hold on her, you and I will combine our power to take her out. Got it?"

Everyone agreed to the plan, knowing that it was better than nothing. They only had one shot, and if they failed… Well, they'd rather not think about what would happen if they failed. Kevin, Emily, and Antonio charged at the Oni woman, striking and stabbing at her but not managing to make as much as a scratch on her. Even Antonio, the fastest of the Rangers, was having difficulty keeping up with her moves. They had either suddenly become challenging or she was simply tired of having to dodge their attacks, Konan started swinging her legs at them. She kicked Kevin hard in the gut and swept him off his feet, flipping over him and Emily, who had come to his aid, and connected her foot with Antonio's head, sending him back a good couple of feet.

"Symbol power!"

The earth below started to quake slightly, and just as tree roots and vines began to erupt from the ground Konan immediately abandoned her position. The Rangers were just making everything too easy for her.

"Damn!" Mike cursed under his breath, charging in after her. Unfortunately the Green Ranger didn't even get the chance to unsheathe his sword as Konan spun around and collided her foot into his stomach and her leg under his feet.

So far nothing was going exactly to plan, and Jayden had half a mind to order a retreat, but it was already too late. He had called forth his Fire Smasher and Mia had summoned her Sky Fan. Konan was pummeling them, but it was now or never. Hopefully with their combined Symbol power they could create a flame strong enough to cause some damage. "Fire Smasher!"

"Sky Fan!"

"Flaming Cyclone!" Jayden's fire and Mia's wind created a large, spinning vortex of fire which engulfed Konan. The Rangers had to shield their eyes from the light; they weren't expecting it to be so bright. Only one thing was crossing their minds when the flames finally began to die down: did they get her? Naturally they weren't expecting to have defeated her, but they were hoping to at least have wounded her, forcing her to draw back.

Their hearts were in their throats, and their hopes had come crumbling down once the flames had dissipated. Standing in Konan's place was a mass of darkness, and as it slowly disappeared the monster herself had remained intact; no burns, no scorch marks, she was untouched. For several heavy moments the Rangers were silent.

"Is that all?" Konan asked, attitude having not changed over the past couple of minutes. "I must say, your attempts at killing me have truly been subpar."

"How is that even _possible_?" Emily asked, trying not to let her voice quiver. "Nothing we do is working!"

Kevin, Mike, and Antonio struggled to pull themselves back to their feet. "Not only is she fast," the Blue Ranger grumbled, "but she's anticipating our every move. It's like she knows exactly what we're going to do before we do it."

"Screw that. I think she knows what we're going to do before we do ourselves," Mike added, holding his stomach from the blow he received. The situation was bad enough as it was, and knowing that there was nothing they could do to even scratch her made it worse.

The air was heavy with decision, neither one better than the other. They could run away, allowing Konan to escape, or they could proceed with the fight, though there was hardly any room for progress. She had more power than any Nighlok the Rangers had ever faced, and something told them this wasn't even half of what she could really do. What insane level of power would they need to achieve just to land one blow on her?

"Your powers are passed down from one generation to the next," Konan stated, "and if I were to be completely honest they weren't very effective when the very first Samurai Rangers performed them, either. There isn't one move you've got that I already haven't seen and bested… Except for you, Gold Ranger," she turned to Antonio. "You say you are not of true samurai decent, and while this is quite obvious in your fighting style that doesn't make you any less easy to read."

_The very first Samurai Rangers_? _No,_ _that's impossible_… _She can't possibly be that old_… Jayden shook his head, refusing to believe it, though there wasn't really a reason he _shouldn't_. He had no idea this gateway existed; he had never heard of the Oni, and while the Nighlok were common knowledge the name 'Konan' had never once been mentioned, not even in books. Still, there was something about her that just seemed ancient, and if she had truly fought their ancestors it would explain why she knew their skills like the back of her hand.

"Now, if you children are done with your little circus act I do believe it is my turn." A black mist-like substance began to surface from the palm of her hand, and out of nowhere a kunai knife had materialized. With a flick of her wrist she threw the knife into the dirt, blade first, and for a moment nothing happened. The Rangers were beginning to think she was bluffing—or that the kunai was a mere distraction for what she was really going to do—but just then black electric currents began emanating from the knife, and with a burst of intense energy the knife exploded, and the Rangers were each blasted with some kind of electric energy.

It was like being rammed in the chest by a bull and zapped with a Taser gun shortly after. The Rangers were sent flying, de-morphing the moment they hit the ground. Their groans of pain were like music to Konan's ears; this fight was over. "Pathetic," she huffed. "Not even the Great Shogun himself put up such a pitiful fight." Konan turned to Jayden, who was trying to force himself to his feet, only to fall back down again, wincing at the piercing pain in his chest.

"You aren't even worth killing."

That was the last thing she said to them before turning her back and disappearing within a mist of darkness.

* * *

The walk back to the Kamiya residence wasn't an easy one, and Naomi nearly screamed once she saw the damage, though admittedly wasn't as bad as it felt. Cody was home safe and sound by his mother's side, and that offered some relief to the Rangers. Everyone gathered in the living room, and once their injuries were finished being fussed over Jayden explained everything, though Ji didn't seem too surprised.

"We think she might have had Cody under some kind of mind control," Jayden concluded. "Once Konan was free I don't think he understood what he'd done."

Cody refused to look anyone in the eye, especially the Red Ranger. Mind control or not, they were still hurt because of him—again. First he had unleashed the Bullzord, and now an ancient monster that had the power to crush them with one strike. He was racked with guilt, and a part of him was surprised his mother hadn't scolded him yet. (In fact the second he walked in the door she wrapped her arms around him—and it was the fastest she'd seen her move in a week—and refused to let go for a solid ten minutes.)

"This is serious," Ji stated, folding his arms over his chest. "Konan is a very powerful Oni. The Great Shogun himself couldn't defeat her. That's why he sealed her, and the others, behind the Kimon—the Demon Gate."

"You mean that stone wall in the forest?" Emily asked.

"Exactly," Naomi nodded, folding her hands in her lap. "Not many people know about the Kimon, and some of those who do believe it to be a myth. Its location has remained a guarded secret for generations. I feared that one day the seal would weaken and that Konan would manipulate someone to break it. Johnathan says I worry too much, but I knew this day would come."

"And since she destroyed the Disk used to seal her away there's no way to put her back." Jayden said this more to himself than to contribute to the conversation. If the very first Samurai Rangers couldn't take her down, what hope was there for them? No, he couldn't let himself think that way. Centuries had passed since then, and there must be something about Konan's fighting style—what little they saw of it, anyway—that they could use to their advantage; surely they could notice _something_ that their ancestors didn't. This tiny bit of assurance at least offered a shred of hope.

The group sat in silence for several moments, trying to think of ways to fix this mess, or perhaps the atmosphere was just too heavy for anyone to speak. Eventually Ji and the Rangers bid the Kamiya's goodnight and started heading for home, though Jayden didn't get halfway down the steps of the porch before Cody came running out, calling for him. "Jayden, wait!"

"Cody?"

The boy looked ready to cry, though it was obvious he was trying to keep it in as best he could, biting his lower lip as if he wasn't sure if he could speak without choking up. Jayden had a vague idea of what he wanted to say but went ahead and waited until he could gather up the courage to do so.

"Back in the forest," Cody took a deep breath as he began, "I didn't want to do it. I really didn't. But that monster…" He refused to meet the gaze of the Red Ranger, probably worried that if he did he would burst into tears. Whenever he did something wrong his father would scold him, and Cody expected Jayden to do the same. He flinched when a hand touched his shoulder, but when he looked it was only Jayden, kneeling down to eyelevel and smiling at him.

"It's not your fault. You can hardly be blamed for something you had no control over."

"But… everyone got hurt because of me."

"We're samurai," Jayden nodded. "Getting hurt kind of comes with the job. Don't worry about Konan. We'll figure out a way to break through her defenses, and we'll make this right."

Though he was confident they would eventually figure out a way to defeat her, or at least seal her away again, Jayden wasn't even sure where to begin. Her power was beyond that of any Nighlok they had ever faced, and that black mist, whatever it was, must have had something to do with it. The amount of danger they were now up against was overwhelming; first Master Xandered returns, then Serrator makes an appearance, and now a third enemy who wasn't a Nighlok, but a hellish demon thought to have been sealed away forever centuries ago.

Even so his smile didn't fade, and it seemed to bring one to Cody's face, though it didn't last long. Perhaps he could read the worry in the Red Ranger's eyes.

"Just take care of your mother. Konan will be gone before you know it."

* * *

"Ooh, ah, ooh. Master Xandred isn't going to like this…"

Octoroo paced nervously in the ship's cabin, imagining what his unconscious master would say after the fiasco in the Human World. He and Serrator witnessed everything through a viewing globe, and while Serrator seemed most intrigued, Octoroo was horrified. "How could those foolish Rangers let Konan slip through their hands? When Master Xandred hears about this he's going to flip his lid!"

"Silence, you lizard-brained imbecile," Serrator hissed, stepping away from his place on the wall and toward the smaller Nighlok. "Konan may be an Oni, but I believe she could be of some use to us. After all we do share a common goal; the eradication of those blasted Samurai Rangers and the Human World.

Octoroo growled and stomped his feet. He never trusted Serrator, but now he was beginning to think he was an absolute lunatic. "The Nighlok and Oni have been sworn enemies for centuries! Not to mention she's a conniving, blood-sucking, deceitful witch! What makes you think Konan would ever consider teaming up with you?"

Just then the temperature dropped. Neither of them noticed that the boat had slowly stopped rocking, and the Sanzu River had gone quiet. A bright, purple light had gotten their attention and ceased their arguing. Stepping out of a mass of darkness, which had evaporated just as quickly as it formed, was none other than Konan.

The atmosphere had grown much heavier with her presence, though Octoroo seemed more frightened by her than Serrator.

"I'm a witch, am I? Come now, that's no way to talk about an old friend."

"_Friend_? The last time we saw each other you nearly ripped by head clean off!"

"In my defense I was trying to get to Xandred."

Serrator chuckled, amused by the quivering intimidation in the tentacle faced Nighlok's voice. "My, my, you're looking well for an Oni who's been locked away for 500 years. You haven't aged a day."

If anyone could see her eyes clearly through that mask they would see the Oni woman rolling her eyes and possibly glaring her teeth at him in a hateful sneer. It was true that Konan had the body of a young woman no older than 30, especially since the Oni were typically like the Nighlok in appearance—monstrous—and she had looked no different now than she had all those years ago. What could be seen of her skin was still ghostly pale and her hair was still black as night and braided along down to her shoulder blades.

Appearance wise no one would think she was capable of bringing an entire city to ruin, not even with a sword strapped to her side.

"Enough with the false flattery, Nighlok," Konan huffed. "I've come down to your pathetic level for only one reason, and that is to tell you to stay out of my way."

"_What_ did you say?"

A typical response would be 'you heard me' or 'did I stutter', but Konan feels that she's made her point clear. The look of confidence Serrator wore quickly melted into one of irritation, and he had half a mind to strike her where she stood. "How dare you…!"

But he never got the chance to finish his sentence, for Konan had quickly pulled out what looked like some kind of tag and slapped it on his chest. It gave off an electric shock, strong enough to even bring Serrator to his knees; when he tried to remove the tag it zapped him again. "What… _is_ this? Did you just place a curse tag on me!?"

Written on the slim slip of paper were the kanji characters for 'confine'. A curse tag was a simple slip of paper with a spell cast upon it, which could only be removed by the one who put it there either by hand or their death. Serrator hadn't seen on in centuries, though he wasn't too surprised by this; Konan was known to have an affinity for them.

"I have a score to settle with the Shiba clan and the Samurai Rangers, meaning I can't have bumbling fools like you interfering." Konan could see that it burned up Serrator for her to say such a thing to him. She didn't seem to care, and she turned to Octoroo not even a moment later, as if she were no longer acknowledging Serrator's existence. "As for you," she said, which made Octoroo flinch, "despite all of your incompetence you can either work for me or I can confine you to this ship, as well."

"Ooh, ah, ooh, why would I want to work for you?" But Octoroo knew he didn't have much of a choice. He wasn't exactly on Serrator's side and he was sure Konan could destroy him if he got on her bad side. It was a lose-lose situation, really, especially with Xandred not even close to fully rejuvenating his powers. Eventually he had no choice but to agree. Working for her had to at least be better than being trapped on a boat with Serrator and those annoying yellow puff-balls.

"Good." Though Konan didn't sound pleased. "We'll be leaving for the Human World within a matter of hours. And this time…"

A loud thudding noise, giant foot-steps by the sound of it, echoed through and rocked the ship. It was strange, seeing as how it should have only been the three of them on the ship. But a large shadow began to overcast the trio, and Octoroo got the first look at the ugliest creature he had seen yet; a large, disfigured brute with too many stitches, including some lose ones on its mouth, ragged hakama pants, and a boar mask that looked like it had been sewn to its ogre-like green skin.

"Those Rangers won't be shown any mercy."

* * *

To be continued in chapter three, _Attack_…

**A/N: As you can see I'm not very skilled at writing fighting sequences. If anyone would like to give me some critiquing on that it would be greatly appreciated! —Cat**


	3. Attack!

The Rangers truly felt the impact of Konan's attack the next morning. Their muscles ached all over, and the bruises certainly didn't do the pain justice. Naomi was kind enough to drop off some healing herbs, which Ji had already made into hot tea to relax their muscles. Neither of them knew exactly what kind of herb was used, but whatever it was surely doing its job.

There was no doubt in them that Konan would make another move soon, so they had to think of a plan, and they had to think of it soon. "Did anyone notice any patterns to her attacks?" Jayden asked, rubbing his shoulder now that it was only slightly stiff.

Emily sighed, resting her chin in her hands, her elbows on her knees. "I didn't, except maybe that she likes kicking people in the head."

The very mention of getting kicked in the head seemed to remind Antonio that he had a headache; Emily pursed her lips and mouthed an apology.

"She didn't have many blind spots, either," Kevin included. Trying to think back on the fight was difficult; all he could remember was getting thrown around like a cat's play thing. "Whenever there was an opportunity to strike, she immediately covered it up. If Antonio can't even keep up with her, then we're in some serious trouble."

"Mentor, is there anything in the archives that could give us a clue on how to beat her?" Mike asked. "I mean, the Great Shogun did it, right?"

Ji pursed his lips, doing his usual pacing routine whenever he was deep in thought about something. "No," he said, shaking his head regrettably, "remember that not even the Great Shogun himself could defeat her. Sealing Konan away was the only thing he could do."

"But what about the archives?"

"You know there is limited amount of knowledge about the Nighlok recorded by the previous Samurai Rangers; it is even more so with the Oni. They last existed on this earth centuries ago. Any information that might have been recorded about them is long lost."

There was an echo of irritable groans throughout the room, but their thoughts of dread were snapped back to reality once the Gap Sensor was activated. The teens were on their feet in a heartbeat, surrounding the table as Ji opened up the map. "Looks like there's trouble downtown," Jayden stated, already working on memorizing the coordinates.

"Yeah," Mike crossed his arms, "but is it Konan or Serrator?"

"We won't know until we get there. Let's go."

* * *

Downtown Paranorma City was in a panic. Civilians were running in terror, screaming off the top of their lungs for help, desperately trying to seek shelter from the danger. Cars were crushed or in flames, there were large gashes in the ground, and a deep, monstrous roar bounced off the walls of the buildings. A large, green, disfigured brute stomped mindlessly through the town, smashing anything in its path. Its face was nearly completely covered with bandages, and its body was covered with stitches, those along its mouth having been torn open.

Tossing away an abandoned car with little to no effort revealed a mother and her child cowering in fear, tear stained cheeks pale with what they feared would be their end. The monster raised its meaty hands, ready to smash them into the pavement, but something sharp stopped him; a blade.

The Power Rangers had arrived just in time, and Jayden sliced his Spin Sword through the monster's arm like cheese. As it bellowed in pain, waving its injured arm wildly, Jayden pulled the woman and child to their feet. "Go! Get to safety!"

With a nod and an appreciative smile, the woman picked up her child and ran.

Whatever this creature was he didn't seem to notice, let alone care, that the two had run off. Its focus was now on the Red Ranger, and it proceeded to smash its hands down ferociously, trying to squash him like a bug. Jayden had little difficult dodging its blows; the creature was big, slow, and apparently not very smart. Landing at least two more hits on the creature's arms, it wasn't long until Emily's Earth Slicer came into view, gliding through its shoulder with ease.

The creature let out another monstrous bellow, and the six regrouped. "Man, I thought the Moogers were ugly," Mike commented, adding his usual snarky remarks to lighten up the tension in battle. "What _is_ that thing?"

"It's no Nighlok, that's for sure," Jayden stated, studying the black liquid the creature had left on his blade. "The Nighlok don't bleed, and they don't attack randomly, either. They always have a goal, have a fighting style, but this thing is just a wild bull that's been let out of its stable."

As if it knew they were talking about it, the monster turned its attention back toward them, forgetting the pain. With black liquid oozing from its body—which they were going to assume was blood—it looked twice as disgusting. This thing didn't even give the Rangers a second to think of a plan; it immediately charged at them.

It was easy to get out of its way, and it was no challenge dodging its attacks, but Kevin and Mia were quick to learn that it was nearly impossible to _defend _them from. The creature tossed them aside so hard that when they crashed into a building—or a car's windshield in Mia's case—it left cracks and dents.

"Mia! Kevin!" Antonio shouted, running to their aid alongside Emily.

"You're going to pay for that!" Mike hissed, pouring his Symbol Power into his sword to form the Forest Spear. "Forest Vortex!"

Gushing wind and piercing leaves, a powerful wave of green energy, engulfed the creature, and it wasn't long until Jayden included his Blazing Strike attack. Just when they thought they got him, the brute came charging out of the smoke and rammed them both into a nearby building.

The Rangers had a small advantage with speed, but this monster had then times the strength.

* * *

Konan tossed aside the owner of the antique shop; Ryu Aizawa, and elderly man who smelled of pine for some reason despite practically living in that old shop of his. He was the kind of man to treat everyone like family, but was too absorbed in his work to really have time for friends.

Ryu backed up into the wall, holding his bleeding shoulder from the flower vase he had been slammed into. "S-Stay away you witch! Away with you beast!" he demanded in a quivering tone. He was trying to hard not to sound afraid of her the Oni woman, but with the tip of her blade pointed directly at his throat it was obvious she wasn't at all intimidated or impressed by his forced bravery.

"You know what I want, old man," Konan growled. "Where is it?"

"I-I don't know! I don't have it! The Red Ranger hid it somewhere; I don't know where!"

"Oh, I think you do."

"Even if I did… there's no way I'd betray him!"

There was a short pause; Konan seemed to be contemplating whether or not she wanted to kill him. Ryu closed his eyes, ready to face the eyes of death, but the sound of a sheathing sword made him open them again, though his muscles didn't relax. Konan was an Oni, the strongest Oni; she didn't something petty like a sword to kill a human. Those were not the words she said to him, however.

"Very well," Konan huffed, turning her back to him. "I've already searched high and low of this tacky little shop, and there aren't many place you could have hidden it. You didn't have what I want, but I'll spare you, old man, because I admire your loyalty.

"You, along with the rest of the mankind, will be dead soon, anyway."

* * *

The Rangers were getting tossed around like yesterday's garbage, unable to land any solid blows to the beast. They have injured it, sure, but it had the tenacity of a cockroach. Cars were wrecked; buildings were half rubble; if the teens didn't finish this fight soon the whole town will be in ruins. This beast was like a wild bull, irritated and running wild. It was much too dangerous to get close, but Kevin couldn't keep it at bay for long with his Hydro Bow.

Jayden, getting back to his feet from the last time the creature batted at him like a fly, tried to come up with some solution in his head. Unfortunately he was coming up short. _We can't get in close enough or he'll smash us into the concrete_. _It's obviously not tracking us by sight; he can probably hear or smell us_… _Attack from behind is our best bet_. As if on cue, the Red Ranger noticed something odd about what he believed to be their opponent's blind spot.

Plain as day, though none of them had noticed it before, was some sort of mask stitched onto its back. Its blending colors of browns and reds clashed with its ogre-like skin, and Jayden couldn't help but wonder why it was there to begin with.

A strange thought started to nag at him, and for some reason he knew that the mask was its weak spot. He didn't know why or how, but Jayden knew that one blow to that mask would end this fight. "Kevin, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Do you see that mask on its back? When you get a clear shot, hit it straight on. The others and I will keep it distracted."

If Jayden could see Kevin's face through his helmet he's pretty sure he would see the Blue Ranger staring at him as if he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. Just as Kevin was about to call him crazy and that his plan had one-in-a-million chance of working, Jayden thrust himself into battle along with the others, trying to land a clear blow while mostly dodging the beast's flying fists.

As insane as the idea seemed to be, Kevin followed orders. He kept his eye on the mask and readied his bow. With all of the movement it was difficult to get a clear shot; sometimes the beast would move or one of his fellow Rangers would get in the way. A part of him hated having to just stand there while his friends were being pummeled, and when Mike was tossed into a windshield, finally resulting him to de-morph, he had half a mind to rush in there and help. Emily ran to the Green Ranger's side and it was just Jayden, Mia, and Antonio holding it off.

"Kevin, if you've got a clear shot just take it!" Jayden shouted, dodge rolling one of the creature's fists.

"Don't worry about us!" Mia called.

Finally an opportunity arrived, but the only thing Kevin could think about was how this could go wrong. What if it moved on the very last second? What if one of his friends was to accidentally step into the line of fire? The Blue Ranger tried not to think about any of that as he released his attack. "Hydro Bow!"

A piercing line of blue light flew through the air, striking through the creature's mask in one blast. After one last monstrous roar, probably the loudest the Rangers had heard since the fight began, the mask shattered and the beast went completely still. Nobody said a word as the beast's skin began to crack, its body eventually evaporating into a blackish-purple mist.

"That's it?" Antonio asks, almost to himself. "No giant, mega-monster or something?"

Though, honestly, since they could barely handle that thing its normal size they Rangers really didn't want to deal with a giant version. As they de-morphed, Emily pulled Mike off from the wrecked windshield. He was conscious; he didn't seem to have broken anything, but they were all beaten, bruised, sore, and breathing heavily.

"Mike, are you okay?"

"Yeah… I think I'm good. Man, that things packs one hell of a punch."

Jayden sighed. They did it; everyone was alive and the fight was won. It had been a while since they were in such a difficult scrape. "Whatever that thing was, it was no Nighlok," he stated, massaging his shoulder.

"His name is Fuu-Ki, one of the three Ogre Giants amongst the Oni."

The Rangers spun around; their lowered guards now up again. Standing on the rooftop of the Antique Shop was none other than Konan. By her side, oddly enough to the teens, was Octoroo, who really didn't seem to enjoy standing there. Perhaps he was just as uneasy to be in her presence as they were.

"Konan." Jayden spat out her name like venom, his brow furrowing into a scowl. As much as he wanted to slug her there was no way he could walk away from doing so with all his limbs attached. "I take it since good old noodle-face is with you you've teamed up with the Nighlok?"

"Don't be absurd. I would never degrade myself by working with those clowns."

Octoroo looked like he wanted to say something, but he was obviously biting his tongue. He settled for an irritated glare at the Oni woman while she simply ignored him. The Rangers could only assume that she had something over him that forced him to work for her. They almost felt sorry for the poor bastard.

"We're done here," Konan said, turning her back to them. "Enjoy your victory for now, Rangers. It _will_ be your last."

With that she disappeared into that strange blackish-purple mist of hers, and the Rangers couldn't help but notice she sounded a little less confident than usual. There was still a touch of cruel arrogance, but it didn't sound as convincing, as if she were having doubts about being able to destroy them with ease. It was hard to believe that Konan could think they had even a small chance of defeating her, but perhaps she was underestimating them when it came to her little castaway minions.

* * *

Jayden sat on the bench in the courtyard, his hands clasped together and his head hanging low. It was late, a little past midnight he believed. He wasn't sure why he wasn't in bed by now, especially since everyone was already asleep. Lately he found sleeping difficult; he either couldn't get to sleep or the night would be plagued with terrible nightmares.

Tonight was a night that he couldn't get to sleep. So many thoughts were racing through his mind at once; about Konan, the Oni, and what they could possibly be after. And why would she even bother making Octoroo work for her? He and the others had only had to put up with him twice, and even then he was never actually part of the fight. The octopus-faced Nighlok was more of a nuisance than a force to be reckoned with, not to mention useless since she's having her lackeys do all the work.

The Red Ranger let out a sigh, raking his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Can't sleep?"

He didn't need to turn his head. Jayden recognized Mia's voice, calm and full of concern. He couldn't resist the corner of his lips curling into a smile. It was difficult to stay frustrated with her around for some reason. "What about you?" he asked, avoiding the question she probably already knew the answer to.

Mia walked over and took a seat beside him. "I just have a lot on my mind; same as you, I guess," she admitted.

For a while all was silent; nothing but the trees rustling and the cicadas singing their song through the summer air. Little communication was needed. They were both thinking the same thing, though neither one of them could think of a proper answer. But it was time to face reality; they had never faced anything like Konan before. Xandred and his band of Nighlok were a joke in comparison, but at least the Rangers had the knowledge to defeat them. It was an all-new ball game with the Oni; a new set of rules to learn, and they needed a game plan. _Fast_.

"Why did Konan attack downtown to begin with?" Jayden asked, not expecting any sort of answer from the Pink Ranger. "She just had that monster wreak some havoc and then she left. It's like she doesn't have any kind of goal, just causing chaos for the hell of it."

Mia pursed her lips, wanting to give him a reason; some sort of explanation, but she was just as clueless. "I don't know," she sighed, "but she doesn't seem to be the type to attack at random. Konan is planning something, I can feel it."

Jayden knew she was right. Mia was always right, but that didn't exactly help them any. It was obvious Konan was planning something big, possibly a revenge scheme of some kind but if anything was certain it was that many people were going to die if they failed to stop her. It was a lot of pressure, but nothing they didn't deal with on a daily basis.

Nonetheless Jayden never wanted to punch something so hard in all his eighteen years of life.

"Well," Mia stood up, "it's getting late, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Jayden watched her walk off, having the same idea she had but not being able to make his legs move. He was exhausted; his muscles ached all over, but his mind was wide awake. He both anticipated and feared their next battle. While he wanted to study and try to figure out more about the Oni, there was no guarantee they would survive next time, especially of Konan herself decided to get in on the action.

The Red Ranger never wanted to see his friends get thrown around like that ever again, and she was only messing with them. Who knows what she was capable of doing to them should she take a fight seriously.

Eventually his eyes started to droop, and he knew it was time to drag himself to bed, force himself to sleep. Who knows, maybe he'd be too tired to have a nightmare.

If only hope didn't constantly work against him.

* * *

To be continued in chapter four, _A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words_…


End file.
